


Health

by InsominiacArrest



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Drabbles, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2015-07-11
Packaged: 2018-04-08 20:46:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4320054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsominiacArrest/pseuds/InsominiacArrest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will and Nico drabbles on them getting closer and Nico taking care of himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Health

Being...whatever Nico was with a medic was harder than he thought it would be. Will Solace was a relaxed guy on the surface, but he was a little too serious about medicine.

Nico would be sitting in the dining hall, minding his own business with Jason at their 'sibling-less table,' when Will Solace would come up to him with a plate overflowing with food. He would eye the blonde up and down “...What do you want Solace?” he would say, or some derivative of that.

The boy would grin and put it down in front of him.

“You need to gain some weight. Doctors orders.”

Nico’s doctor apparently gave a lot of orders.

Nico would make a face at him, “I already have food.” gesturing at his own plate. And hey, his appetite had been gotten a lot better since the Argo II and everything in between. Will didn’t care.

“Dude,” Dude. Really? “You’re like 20 pounds underweight. Eat it. No complaining.”

Nico glanced at the meal, it was mostly spaghetti, sausages, and a piece a chocolate cake perched precariously on top.

“No way I’m eating all that. Too much. I’ll puke.”

Will spun a roll of spaghetti up, “here comes the airplane.”

“No. No airplanes. You’re ridiculous.” Nico would swat away the stupid fork, “Also, apparently 4 years old.”

“Oh, come on.” They would usually have a little struggle with the fork, which use to involve a little too much playful pushing for his taste, but he had gotten use to it.

In the end Will always got him to eat at least a little from the second plate, which he swore to the Gods he didn’t actually need, but Will smiled at him like the sun was shining out his nostrils, it kind of made him want to do it anyway. He aggressively tried to ignore when Jason gave Will a huge thumbs up once he won the food struggle every night.

Why did he decide to stay again?

He gained at least five pounds, and grew half an inch within the first two weeks.

\-----------------

Nico didn’t need a doctor. He had gotten much “better” on his own, his choice, not some ‘saviors.’ Whatever. But he’d be lying if he said he didn’t like it when Will showed up his cabin unannounced and insisted he needed some sunshine. Like the guy wasn’t basically all the sun Nico could handle. He’d usually find Nico around 7 to 10 in the morning and insist he come do some outdoorsy thing, because it figured the guy he liked would end up being a morning person. Gods.

The first time went something like this, and the ones after followed the same type of pattern:

Nico would hear a knock at his door, at apparently, what 8 AM? 8 AM.

Will Solace would stood at the entrance like Nico’s own personal sunrise.

“Do you know what time it is?” He’d greet grumpily. Because what else was he going to do this early.

“Time for a checkup.”

“What?”

“You’re way too pale.”

“I’m the son of Hades... What do you expect?”

“Some color on those cheeks! You’re not actually a natural translucent sheet are you?”

“Maybe. Maybe I am,” He’d grumble, “you don’t know my linen-eadge.”

Will looked at him in shock for a second, and then gave out a burst of laughter,

“Oh my Gods, I didn’t know the son of Hades told jokes. Puns too.” He said snickering.

Nico would look away a little embarrassed, and a little overly pleased with himself.

“Whatever.” he said trying to hide it, “I’ll try out this sunshine thing out...No promises I won’t burst into flames at first contact though.”

“Alright, that’s fine, you’ve got a medic with you,” he said giving what Nico swore was a wink at him, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up.

“Well, your sunny personality hasn’t given me sunburn yet, so I suppose I might be fine.”

“I am the son of a sun God. It’s all sunburn from here.” Was that an innuendo? What? Before Nico could think about it too hard, Will would lead him outside into the 'great outdoors.'

And Nico played Volleyball. And Kayaked. And actually eventually got a sunburn. It was sort of terrible, and sort of wonderful. He ended up playing a lot of games with the other campers, he'd admit it was weird. It was hard to suddenly be around so many people, and people, for the most part, who wanted to be around him.

The most nerve racking thing was when he was actually away from the group though, when Will took him on hikes. Nico assumed the first couple times the others would come on the outing. But every time it was just Will and him strolling around the surrounding woods, talking or just watching the nymphs. It became surprisingly easy to talk to him, but at the same time Nico’s burgeoning feelings became a lot harder to hold down when they were alone. It was like trying to hold too many marble’s in his hands at once, he thought we had a handle on some, but then others slipped out without his permission.

In the end, after the initial sunburn and oh, guess what, heat stroke (it was okay, Will stayed by him and made him drink water, and got him an ice pack and stayed by his side, and it was.. good…). Nico ended up two tones darker.

\--------------

Nico wouldn’t be surprised if there was some irony God out there who said like “yes son of light… and son of darkness, one of them kills things, and one of them brings life! Oh huh huh I’m so fricking clever!” And that’s why Nico figured his crush on Will had become so large it basically pained him to be around him… Or worse, not around him.

By all rights Nico should be exhausted, he helped Will all day with wounded campers, and then went stayed up late at the campfire, which he did not sing at, thank you very much. Nico found himself wandering around the camp late into the night anyway. It helped him think. And avoid some bad dreams, many now involving Octavian.

He was contemplating Octavian's demise, and then Leo’s on top of that, when he come across none other than Will himself.

He was standing on the edge of the lake looking outward. His breath sounded funny.

“Solace..?” he asked him softly.

“Oh.. Nico.” He said not looking up, and hastily wiping something off his cheek. Uh oh. Nico was not equipped for this, but it was too late to turn back now.

Before Nico could ask him if everything was okay (which it obviously wasn’t), Will cut him off.

“You shouldn’t be up this late. It’s bad for health. You already have enough dark circle under your eyes to build a well and drill it to China.”

“What?”

“I don’t know. Not my best one.” His voice sounded watery.

“Well… You should get some sleep too you hypocrite. How will you wake me up at some god awful time in the morning if you don’t get your beauty rest?”

“What are you saying? That I’m not always beautiful?” He turned around, sounding more like himself.

Damn straight you are. Nico didn’t say that aloud.

Will followed him back to camp, Nico was burning with curiosity to know what could have possibly happened, and then possibly punch whatever it was in the face, but he knew what it was like to not want to talk about something.

They got to Will’s cabin far too quickly, and Nico didn’t come up with anything to say to broach the topic of Will’s sudden melancholy. They stood there staring at each other, Nico waited for Will to make a move towards the door so he could say good night, or see you tomorrow or something. Will didn’t move.

“I..” he started, “I don’t want to go in.”

Nico nodded his head slowly.

“Do you want to…” Come back to my place, wink, wink, “get some hot chocolate?”

It was the best thing he could think of.

“The cafeteria's closed.” He said mystified by Nico’s suggestion.

“I have some in my cabin. Come with me.”

Nico led Will to his cabin, which felt like a much longer walk for some reason.

Nico liked tea, also coffee, alright a lot of coffee, it’s what kept him going after all those sleepless nights, but he also kept hot chocolate packets for Hazel who liked them.

Nico didn’t say anything to Will until he had gotten the warm drink in his hand.

“Okay,” Nico began, he never thought he’d be the type of person to ask if he wanted to talk about it but here he was asking, “do you want to talk about it?”

Will’s head was hanging, and then he looked up heavily, like it was physically too much to do.

“Is death.. does death involve a lot of reliving your last moments?”

Nico blinked at him rapidly, unprepared for this question as he sat cross legged on the bed.

“Why do you want to know?” He didn’t exactly like talking about the afterlife.

“It’s just… I messed up. He should blame me. I expect he blames me and has to keep reliving it...when I couldn't save him.” Will Solace began crying again in Nico’s cabin. Oh jeez. Big fat tears like he was being drained of all his liquids.

“No it’s okay, it’s okay,” Nico didn’t know what to do, his arms sitting uselessly at his sides, more than anything he wanted to do something.

“I lost him, he was sitting right there bleeding out already and I should have done more. I, I didn't do more. Why didn't he do more?” His eyes stare sightlessly off into the distance, wide and fear stricken.

“Nico. Don’t hate me.” He finishes in a small voice.

"I could never," he says instantly, and that was true.

“It was such a long night. I keep reliving it, I’m right besides him, he’s staring me straight in the face, an arrow in his side, and I was...” He trails off looking like he can’t go on and clenches his jaw painfully.

“It'll be alright," that's all he can think of to keep repeating, "you don't have to tell the story if you don't want to. It’s going to be okay.” Will shakes and Nico gets up and places his hand on Will’s shoulder trying to convey in part a type of comfort.

Nico felt a pang in his heart, seeing this ball of elation and gods, sunshine, be so shaken was like finding out Santa wasn’t real and in fact was drinking on the job and lost his wallet. But above all else Nico was at least going to be there for him. As he had been for him.

“How long ago did this happen?” Nico asks quietly, trying to ease him.

“Long time 'go.” He mutters, “it just sometimes comes up. And I can’t sleep.”

“Will...The afterlife is tranquil. It's grey and even-toned, calming I guess to the ghosts. And Will. Ghosts they move on, they always do. That’s what it’s like. And then they get to start over. And it’s okay.” Nico tried to get across what the afterlife could be in whispers, what he knew and could comfort others with.

“I feel like I’m always trying to avoid it Nico. Fight The End with the people I treat. But here you are, right in front of me as the, connected to the afterlife, telling me it’s alright. Nico Di Angelo… we are a pair.” He chuckles.

“Do you hate me? For being death.” Nico replies reluctantly, wanting to fill the gap between them with words. But they pause as words aren't doing the trick.

"I could never." He repeats, "I like it." He says softly, "you struggle so hard against something, and forget maybe it's not so scary, maybe it's okay afterall. Nico, I, I like...that. You." 

Nico stares him directly in the face, tear stained and framed by loose blonde hair falling in disheveled loops across his eyes. He stares at Will’s lips like in a trance, he wants to lean in, give the boy something. He stops himself, he stares at the ground.

“Anything else you want to know?” He inquires uncomfortably.

Will shakes his head no this time. The air settles into a quite.

Nico’s face breaks into an awkward half smile.

“You know,” he starts, “not sleeping is very unhealthy. I hear it ruins your nervasystem and skin.” Will had given Nico the exact speech before on health issues.

“Huh,” Will returns a watery smile, “I didn’t know that at all.” He’s sarcastic, rolling his eyes in Nico's direction.

Will's voice lowers to whisper, get’s self reflective, “I really can’t sleep.”

“Would you,” Nico gulps, trying to talk himself into this, “like to try here?”

He flinches and looks away blushing furiously, “it can help to have somebody nearby.” Nico justifies himself. He really does want to help.

“Would that help you? Because as your doctor I can’t recommend anything less, sleep helps every aspect of well being.” Will seems relaxed again, less gloomy.

They stand for very long seconds, no one moving. It’s Nico that side steps first, slowly, like he’s trying not to spook a deer.

Will sniffs and mumbles under his breath about what a mess he is, but then follows Nico onto the bed, crawling over the sheets.

They didn’t have to but they somehow both decided to lie on their sides facing each other. Nico can feel Will’s breath on his face, from anyone else Nico would find it too close (and kind of gross). Instead he lies in bed and finds his heart beat fast and clenching in his chest. The breathing steadies him to a even beat.

“Nico…” Will breaths out just Nico is nodding off.

“Yeah?”

“I’m glad you're here.”

Nico opens his eyes and meets the other boys gaze,

“At the camp,” he stammers, backtracking with a rush of blood in his cheeks.

“I’m glad I’m here too.” Nico finds himself with a slow smile gracing his mouth.

They stare into each other for a longer spell of time then Nico can quantify, he wants to lean in again. To once in his life be closer.

Somewhere along the way he falls asleep.

That night he startles awake only once, his breathing erratic and gasping when he jerks open his eyes and fumbles around in the dark.

“Nico!” A voice calls out to him, an arm wrapping around his chest. It’s Will. Nico settles down, leaning into the embrace, embarrassment slightly weighing on his shoulders.

“What was wrong?” His voice is honey and lemons in the night.

“I was being eaten by a tree.”

Will laughs, “really?” He snickers more.

“A pomegranate.”

Will examines him again, a calculating look, Nico wonders how much the other boy knew of him, wonders if he just changed anything.

“Let’s lie down again. I have you.”

They lay back down, Nico can feel a calm he hadn’t felt in years wrap him in a consuming warmth, the nightmare fading as it never had before. Replaced by an arm under his neck and a chest inches from his own. A cocoon of limbs and something comfortable.

Nico hears a tinkling laugh as he is on the cusp of sleep. He goes stiff from head to toe. He would consider calling the ghostbusters if wasn't for the fact he recognized the voice.

If he wasn’t right next to a dozing Will he would have cursed Aphrodite under his breath for teasing him, or whatever she was doing. He falls asleep.

Will himself starts awake two times in the night after that, Nico shushes him each time and lures him back to the pillows. By the time it’s morning they are tangles in the blankets and each other's limbs... it was a good night.

Nico's bags under his eyes recede within a week, becoming shallow pools of cream instead, his nights somehow more restful with or without Will Solace. But much better with.

********

It’s the fourth of July, fireworks explode in a technicolor display of festivities and noise. Nico appreciates it in an off kilter sort of way, like the world is excited and he’s part of it.

He sits on the edge of a dock with his feet in the water, calmly observing the heat and giddiness of the event when Will comes up to him with a camera.

“Take a picture with me,” his grin is wide and almost childish.

“Do I have to?” Nico asks hesitantly, he usually didn’t like pictures, he looked like skeleton with small road kill affixed to the skull. Even he knew that.

“Yes.” Will declares and he kneels down to aim the camera back at them. Nico resigns himself to it because it was Will and because it was a holiday.

He smiles weakly, the camera flashes.

Will picks up the digital camera and presses some buttons, he laughs.

“This is pretty good actually. Here, have a look,” he sits down next to him on the dock. Very closely.

Nico’s eyebrows rise, he stared at a very different picture with a very different boy.

“I should get a mirror….” He mumbles to himself as he examines someone he doesn't recognize, a darker olive skinned young man, taller and with filled in cheeks and eyes no longer ten shades of dull liquid brown- instead expressive and bright.

His smile was uncomfortable but shy rather than angry, and… And he didn’t know what to think in total.

Will grins at him, face illuminated by the multicolored lights in the sky, his feet in the water alongside Nico’s. Nico just catches Percy flashing two ridiculous thumbs up at him from near the trees. Nico rolls his eyes at him.

“I guess you didn’t notice the effect of healthy living,” Will winks at him, referring to Nico’s astonishment at the image.

“Yeah…”

“See? Food, sunlight, the basics, formula to become an outright fox.”

Nico blinks at him slowly, he thought he was a fox? Will realizes what he said and looked away quickly. He then looks back and fidgets excessively, as if he wants to do something.

“Shouldn’t eat so many hot dogs though,” he says in a hurry, trying to change the topic as he points to the forgotten food by his side, “it’s bad for your heart.”

Fireworks go off in wild succession, the finale had started, whoops arise from the crowd around them.

“Are you an expert on heart health as well?” Nico subtly inched closer, teasing him, especially for the fox comment.

“Mmm, well. Not all hearts.” When he doesn't finish Nico leans in, the dizziness and light of the night giving him some courage, he kisses him.

Will’s lips are moisturized and full, Nico can feel him smile into the kiss as their mouths collide, fireworks literally go off as they embrace and a new round of whooping, this time directed at them, erupts.

Nico pulls away, he stares away immediately, his cheeks red as the rockets red glare.

“Wow.” Will says with the biggest smile Nico had ever seen stretching his face like a goofy slash mark.

Nico nods, unsure of himself. Will gently touches his face and guides it back around to face him, their features close and intimate.

 **  
** Will leans in and kisses Nico once more, a slow peck on the mouth that deepens.

Nico hears another round of annoying red and silver laughter from the Goddess Aphrodite, he lets it go, he's kissing a very pretty boy after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I actually wrote this awhile ago back when the last book came out and forgot about it, I decided it was pretty cute and decided to publish it. Thanks for reading, and any kuddos or comments!


End file.
